Philadelphia Writers’ Conference Photos

Convention attendees

Opening Speaker Solomon Jones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent a rewarding long Memorial Day weekend with the science fiction/fantasy community at Balticon and last weekend I had another rewarding long weekend with the writing community at the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference on June 3-5, 2011. This coming weekend at home will be a big letdown after these two events!

The Contemporary Short Story Workshop with Dennnis Tafoya

13 Tips and Tricks with Kathryn Craft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attendees at the conference included published and aspiring writers and anyone interested in writing. While my primary interest is novels and short stories, I like to try out other forms of writing as well. I wish I could have split myself in two so that I could have attended more than one session at a time. The ones I attended provided inspiration and many useful pointers, and I heard nothing but good comments about the other sessions.

In the Opening Session, Solomon Jones, who emphasized that words do matter, entertained and inspired everyone, setting the tone for the conference. The Agents/Editors Panel answered questions after the buffet dinner on Friday evening, and Nelson Johnson, author of Boardwalk Empire, gave the keynote address at Saturday night’s banquet. The Closing Session, Publishing: Insider’s View wrapped up the conference on Sunday afternoon.

Marketing Your Own Work with Marie Lamba

The Novel: Character Workshop with Gregory Frost

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The variety of one-hour topics included: Creating the Perfect Pitch/Query with Jennifer Holbrook-Talty; Libel, Privacy, and Censorship with Richard Bank; Writing for New Media with Ian Markiewicz; How to Get Your Own Column with J. D. Mullane; Don’t Break for Writer’s Block with Jerry Waxler; Op-Ed with Larry Atkins; Marketing Your Own Work with Don Lafferty and Marie Lamba; and 13 Tips and Tricks with Kathryn Craft.

Marketing Your Own Work with Don Lafferty

The YA — Kids and Teens Workshop with Catherine Stine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Participants also attended three-day workshops, which included: Novel: Plot with Kelly Simmons; Contemporary Short Story with Dennis Tafoya; Screen/Play Writing with Anne Hamilton; Non-Fiction Article with Denise Foley; Novel: Character with Gregory Frost; Memoir with Linda Wisniewski; Romance Novel with Jennifer Holbrook-Talty; Poetry I with Kathleen Sheeder Bonnano; YA — Kids and Teens with Catherine Stine; Flash Fiction with Randall Brown and Literary Short Fiction with Curtis Smith; Nonfiction Book with Ellie Slott Fisher; and Poetry II with Daniel Maguire. Attendees of these workshops could submit selections for critique by the workshop leaders — an invaluable opportunity — and could submit selections for the conference contest. Awards for the contest were presented at the banquet on Saturday evening.

Kerry did such a good job summing up the experience of the convention in her post on June 6 that I have just one thing to add. While I always learn something new and find inspiration in the workshops, another pleasure of the conference is making new friends and reconnecting with old ones. The fellowship of the community of writers involved in this conference is a special joy.

For more photos and information about the conference, click on my name in More About the Authors to the right. Click on Kerry’s name to read more about her experience at the conference.

Sarah Yake and Stacia Decker on the Agents/Editors Panel

Don’t Brake for Writer’s Block with Jerry Waxler